Waiter, There's A Lady In My Coffee
by Pat2Trivia4Me
Summary: Daphne asks Niles not to see so much of Frasier so they can be together more. "Brothers To The End" results in Niles concealing his visits with Frasier which leads Daphne down a hallway of misconception. Boy, is Daphne doing to laugh when she realizes Niles isn't secretly dating someone else, isn't she? Isn't she?
1. Chapter 1

_Waiter,There's A Lady In My Coffee by Pat Councilor_

Niles leaned back and sipped from his double cappuccino, half-caf, nonfat milk, with just enough foam to be aesthetically pleasing. He stared across the table at his brother in an uneasy brisk of emotion not to be sensed by his brother's keen intuition. "Frasier," he broke silence.

His brother placed the paper on the table at Café Nervosa. "I'm sorry Niles. I'm just engrossed in this article in today's paper. It has to do with pets and how the owners can distinct fully acknowledge what his pet is feeling."

Niles raised an eyebrow as he watched his brother take a sip from his latte. "Frasier, I had no idea that you had an interest in bond between Dad and Eddie."

He shot Niles a look. "Oh heavens no. Are you delirious with fever? No, my mere interest is finding a way to make Eddie convincingly look like he constantly wants to go for a walk. You know, get Dad out of the house when needed and more often. And why not? Don't I deserve the extra peace and quiet in my life? And the ladies do need a little more time in 'Frasierland'."

"If we could leave 'Frasierland' for a moment to enjoy the gravity here on Earth… Obviously, I'm not the one who's delirious."

Frasier shot him a look.

Niles continued. "You are telling me that you want to spend countless hours training Eddie to make him look like he wants to go for a walk when you signal him and to also convince Dad that he can read Eddie's mind?"

"Well, with some great determination and a carefully placed newspaper article…"

Niles shot him the 'God sakes man, where is your dignity?' look.

Frasier hoisted his briefcase on the table and opened it to fold the paper and tuck it inside. "A man can dream."

Niles took a long drink from his cup until he could see the bottom of the cup. He then motioned for the waiter to bring him another.

"Niles is everything okay?" his brother asked with sincerity.

"Why… yes. Why do you ask?"

"You're a cappuccino sipper, not a caffeine guzzler."

"I just want another cup of coffee and enjoy my brother's company, is that alright?" He checked his watch.

Frasier shot him a double take. 'Share time, eh? Why is he checking his watch?'

Niles' voice dropped, "By-the-way Frasier, thank you for meeting me for coffee."

"We always meet for coffee. Niles, is there something on your mind?"

"No," he said with a single nod of his head. "Right now, I want to enjoy some light-hearted banter between myself and my big brother. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?"

"Niles, calm down. You're scaring the staff. Perhaps you should switch to decaf."

Niles voice instantly softened with an innocent tone. "So, how is work?"

Ah, now there was a topic that Frasier was never short on words. "I did have a caller call in with narcolepsy that called in about another problem. Just when we were getting to the root of the problem, he kept dozing off."

"Are you sure it was the narcolepsy?"

"What… are you saying that I am boring… my show it boring… is that what you are insinuating?"

Niles raised his hands defensively. "No Frasier. I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."

He leaned in toward his brother. "Niles, you're acting more weird than you usually are. What the devil is going on?"

"Oh alright," he said as the waitress brought his coffee, "you can always see right through me." He took another long drink of coffee; a long, long drink.

"Niles!"

He almost spilled his coffee all over himself. He placed the cup back on its saucer. "Alright, but before we go there, I want you to know that I REALLY enjoy or coffee time and basically any time we share…"

"Niles, what are you trying to say? It sounds like you're going to break up with me."

Niles glared his way.

"What are you saying?"

"Well, now that Daphne and I are a couple, she thinks that she and I… should be spending more time together and… that I should see less of you."

"OH MY GOD!" Frasier abruptly stood. "YOU ARE BREAKING UP WITH ME!"

"Frasier, please." Niles looked around the room to find that Frasier had captured the attention of everyone in Nervosa.

Frasier took note as well and conspicuously slipped back into his chair.

"It's only temporary," Niles promised.

"So I just wait around until Daphne tells you it's okay to accept me back into your life?"

"It didn't sound so bad… until you put it that way."

Frasier stood and pulled out his wallet. "I have been your brother for your entire life. We are more than brothers, we are friends. Does she take that into consideration?"

"Frasier, Daphne and I have been through a lot lately with breaking up both of our marriages, getting out from under Donny's lawsuit and finally free from Mel. And I will pay for your coffee."

Frasier dropped several bills on the table. "No thank you. You've done enough for one day, thank you very much."

"The party that we're planning…"

Frasier gasped. "You mean?"

"Yes, you are no longer part of the party planning committee. It's just Daphne and me now." He squinted, expecting his brother to implode right there, where he stood.

He headed for the door, but stopped short to scold, "And I was the one that got you two together in the first place." With that, he turned on his heels and walked out.

"Frasier, wait." But his brother was gone. He was mad and why wouldn't he be. He checked his watch. He, too, had to be going. He had a session to get to. He picked up his brief case and took his wallet out of his inside breast pocket.

"Hello there."

Niles looked up into the eyes of Daphne. She had just walked in. She had startled him. "D-Daphne. So wonderful to see you." He gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey Niles," Roz smiled. She turned to Daphne. "I'll go order our coffee." With that, Roz headed for the counter.

"I see you had coffee with someone," Daphne commented. "Who was it?"

"Oh, it was Frasier. I know, I know. You don't want me seeing him for a while, but that's why I asked him to meet me here. I didn't want to explain that to him over the phone." He gave her a quick peck on the lips. "I've have to run. I have an early session. I'll see you tonight."

After he left, Roz suggested they sit at the next table over where the table had been cleared. Daphne sat in her seat with her coffee steaming in front of her. Suddenly, her heart skipped several beats and sank to a dark region in the pit of her stomach. Over at the other table, at the seat directly across from where Niles was sitting and apparently where Frasier had sat, was a white Nervosa coffee cup. Daphne could see it from there. The brim of that cup had a smear of lipstick.


	2. Chapter 2

_Waiter, There's A Lady In My Coffee by Pat Councilor_

Daphne was folding clothes at the Montana and enjoying every minute of it. She loved Niles and the lipstick she saw on the coffee mug a few days ago at Café Nervosa didn't bother her in the least. After all, she knew that Niles loved her and what he had to do to be with her. There was no question about it. The man was head-over-heels in love with her and she was caught up in the same wonderful dream. She could see it in his eyes and feel it in his touch. 'Twice through the fluff cycle' she thought as she hugged one of his favorite shirts.

The doorbell rang. On the other side of the door, stood Martin. He hobbled inside. "I think I liked it better when the injured patient didn't have to make house calls to his own therapist."

"Oh stop griping old man. The exercise in coming over here will do you good." She took his coat and umbrella to put them up. "Let me grab me mat."

He took a seat. "So what do you have planned for tonight?"

"We were going out to dinner." Her voice trailed from the other room. "But Niles has to work late."

"Well, would you like to have dinner together?"

Daphne returned from the other room with the rolled up mat. "What did you say?"

"What?" He gave her a puzzled look.

"What did you just say?"

"I asked if you'd like to have dinner."

"No, before that."

"I asked what your plans were for the evening."

"You asked what my plans were, not 'our' plans. Niles just called to cancel our dinner date. What did you know about this?"

"No… nothing."

She aggressively rolled the mat out.

Martin swallowed hard. This was going to be one painful exercise session.

The next evening, Roz walked into Café Nervosa. She went up to the counter to order her drink, when she took a quick look around the room. Not many customers were there. "Hey," she said to the young man on the other side of the counter. "Where is Niles?"

"Who?"

"Don't act so coy. The man's come in here so often that his tips alone have paid for your braces and set you up for life with that cheesy haircut. His car is out front. Where is he?"

He glanced over to the table where Niles normally sat at. "He was here a moment ago."

She went over and took a quick look at the outside tables. He wasn't out there. Roz was Roz and it didn't take much for her to boldly knock on the men's room door. "Niles, are you in there?"

There wasn't a sound.

"Listen," she continued, "I know that's your Mercedes-Benz E320 parked outside and you wouldn't leave that here even if you had four flat tires and a missing engine."

Still, there wasn't a sound. She turned the door knob and bumped her hip into the door. It swung open and Frasier and Niles were inside with mouthfuls of caviar. They both looked like two little children caught eating all of the cookies in the cookie jar.

"What is going on in here?" she said with a raised voice.

"Caviar." Frasier managed to mumble with a mouth full of it.

"It's imported." Niles sounded off.

"Put a lid on it," she insisted.

Niles put his hand over his mouth.

"No Niles, I mean put the lid on the caviar. The two of you clean yourselves up and meet me out at our table in three minutes."

Both of them nodded in unison.

When they met her at the table, Roz leaned in on them. "Caviar in the men's room?"

"We saw your car drive up and we thought Daphne was with you." Niles confessed.

"Why would you be avoiding Daphne?"

"She wants me to spend a little less time with Frasier and have more 'us' time."

"What's wrong with that?"

"It's caviar Roz," Frasier chimed in.

"It's imported," Niles reminded her.

"Truthfully Roz, I've been waiting for this caviar to come in for months," Frasier said. "We just had to try it."

"So let me get this straight. Daphne wants to spend more time with you, but throughout the week, you've found excuse after excuse to meet with Frasier?"

The two men bowed their heads like ten year old boys.

"And now the two of you pompous asses are cowering in the men's room to eat your caviar with a plastic spoon?"

Niles put his hand to his mouth. "Dear Lord. Frasier, what have we become?"

"What do you think this looks like to poor Daphne?" she asked.

"What, what do you mean?" Niles asked.

"You're sneaking around. Not clear on where you are."

"What?" he asked again.

"She probably thinks you're out with another woman."

"That's preposterous. HOW DARE YOU? I refuse to entertain such ill-mannered accusations."

"And when Daphne and I came here several days back, you said that you were having coffee with Frasier, but there was lipstick on the coffee cup in front of the empty chair."

"Oh, dear heavens." His hand went back up to his mouth. He firmly slapped Frasier across his upper arm. "You had to give that woman a kiss before finishing your coffee."

"She and I used to date," Frasier tried to defend his position. "I'm sorry Niles."

"I called her not too long ago," Roz went on. "She wouldn't admit it, but it sounded like she had been crying."

Niles produced his cell phone from his inner jacket pocket. "I've got to call her. My poor angel." He started to tear up. "How could she think…" His eyes started to water so much that he couldn't read the speed dial number. He stood abruptly. "No, I won't do this over the phone. I must go to her."

"Niles, if there is anything I can do…"

"Oh shut up Frasier, with your women gloating, wine swilling, and freshly imported caviar, I think I've had enough of your assistance in my love life." Niles spun on his heels and left.


	3. Chapter 3

_Waiter, There's A Lady In My Coffee by Pat Councilor_

Niles dialed Frasier's cell as he sat on the steps in his living room of the Montana. At the foot of the stairs were a wine glass half full and a wine bottle matching that description standing next to it. In his other hand was a card that he had written Daphne. It was a card professing his love for her.

Frasier answered. "Niles, is everything alright?"

He tried to swallow, but couldn't. "She…she's gone Frasier."

"Daphne is not that at the Montana?"

"She left. I found several of her garments are gone. I even found one on the floor in the entrance way."

"Oh my God Niles. This is just a simple misunderstanding, we'll fix this."

"There were several cards that I had given her spread all over the dining table. I've got to find her Frasier. Whatever it takes. Wherever she is, I've got to find her."

"Alright Niles. Let's keep a level head about this. Have you had anything to drink?"

"About half a bottle of wine."

"Stay right where you are. I'm on my way. I will drive you anywhere you need to go."

He spotted a note for him among the cards. "Wait Frasier. Wait. I just found a note from her." It had his name written on it and it was folded closed. He picked it up and he read it.

"What does it say?"

"There's nothing here. It has my name on the paper that's folded, but there is nothing written on the inside."

"Perhaps she started it and forgot to finish it."

"Perhaps. Or perhaps she has nothing more to say to me."

"Niles, don't jump to conclusions. I'm on my way."

"Thank you Frasier." With that, Niles folded his phone and placed it back into his pocket. He picked up his wine glass as he stood and drank the rest of the contents from the glass. He walked over to a picture of Daphne in a large crystal frame. He placed the glass and card down and picked up the frame to hold it – to cradle it. "Daphne, my love, where have you gone?"

Niles had been sitting on his fainting couch holding the picture in his arms for what seemed to be about 20 minutes, when he set the frame down. "I can't wait anymore. I've got to find her." He stood up. "Frasier, what is taking you so long?"

He picked up the frame and gave her face a kiss and as he stared into the eyes of the picture, his tear splashed on the glass surface. "I love you Daphne Moon." He seemed to be choking on his own tears.

Putting the frame down, he went to his door, taking up his car keys as he went. As he quickly made his way toward the elevator, he bumped into a lady. "I'm sorry. Excuse me."

"Niles?"

He turned and his eyes almost burned at the vision of the angel standing before him. "Daphne?" He went into her arms and held her tight as he started to cry.

She held him tight with one arm as she began to cry. "Niles, what is it? What is wrong?"

"Give me this moment…" He held onto her almost in fear of her floating off to heaven if he had let her go. He could feel the beating of her heart on his chest and it warmed him so.

"Come, go with me inside." She opened the apartment door and led the way inside. She set the clothes basket down that she was holding. Along with the clothes, was her exercise mat in the basket. She tried to dry her eyes as he did too. "Come sit down. What is this all about?"

She hadn't a clue what was going on.

Niles was piecing it all together. The exercise mat; she was over at Frasier's apartment to give Dad his therapy and to "kill two birds with one stone" she had taken their laundry over to do that over there as well. Her missing garments: the laundry. He took her hands, "Let me first ask you, why is there an unfinished letter to me on the table?"

"It was your father. He hates to come here for his exercises, so went over there. Well, I wasn't moving fast enough for him, so he called and asked me to hurry. I was cutting into his drinking time at the pub. I'm sorry. I forgot to finish the note."

"I have to tell you Daphne Moon. I love you so, so much and I would never cheat on you."

She gave him a puzzled look. "You what?"

"I would never, ever cheat on you."

"Why would you say something like that?"

"Roz mentioned that there was lipstick on the other coffee cup at my table the other day. Frasier kissed a girl before finishing his coffee."

"I didn't talk to Roz about any lipstick on a coffee cup."

"You didn't?"

"No, you crazy sod. I love you and I know you love me. I need more proof than some silly lip stick to jump to a conclusion like that."

"Well… Roz said that it had sounded like you had been crying over the phone."

"Well, I didn't want to tell her I was so sentimental."

"Sentimental?"

"Sure, I was missing you so that I went through some of me cards that you sent me. They are so beautiful. They made me cry. When Roz asked if I had been crying, I didn't want to tell her that I was crying after reading cards that you had sent me in the past. I'm sorry I didn't gather them back up. Your father was rushing me a bit when he called."

"Oh, that Roz. I know she meant well, but she scared me half to death." He kissed her lips. "I love you so, my Daphne."

She warmed inside. She loved it when he called her "My Daphne."

"And I think I owe you a great apology."

"You do?" she said as she batted her beautiful eyes.

"I've been meeting up with Frasier all week. The things I 'had to do' involved Frasier on things that Frasier felt just couldn't wait."

She leaned over and brushes her lips against his so tender, it sent chills up his spine. "It's me who should be apologizing to you."

"Excuse me?"

"It wasn't right for me to ask you to stop seeing your brotha. And I knew you couldn't promise anything like that. I was just wanting you to involve me more in your life. I am selfish when it comes to spending time with you. Is that so wrong?"

"That, my love, is the best 'wrong' to be." He leaned over and their lips touched ever so gently.

She batted her eyes at him. "How about some 'US' time right now?"

"Tonight is ours and only ours, I promise. I love you girl."

"I'll race you upstairs." She jumped up and ran upstairs with Niles following right behind.

Once they were upstairs, there was a pounding at the door. "NILES! It's Frasier! Open up!" There was a moment of silence and then more pounding. "NILES, IT'S ME, FRASIER!"

[FIN]


End file.
